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WHY DOES PROZAC SOMETIMES PRODUCE A “REVVED UP” FEELING?
23 March 2009
by
admin
Filed under
Anti Depressants-Sleeping Aid
Since Prozac selectively blocks the uptake of serotonin, which specifically creates anxiety and gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety is a common side effect (as is nausea). Especially in the beginning, a certain number of people also experience the related sensations of restlessness, nervousness, agitation, decreased appetite, and trouble sleeping. They simply can’t sit still.
Although this feeling of being revved up is a real effect of Prozac and some of the SSRIs, a major study has shown these activating effects to be only slightly greater than the activating effects seen in depressed patients taking a standard comparison drug, imipramine (Tofranil). In clinical studies, patients who made the decision to stop taking either drug blamed it on these adverse activating effects in approximately equal numbers.
How can restlessness and irritability that I felt when taking Prozac be reduced? A lower dosage may help. Although most patients take 10 or 20 mg a day of Prozac, as little as 2.5 mg a day may be effective in some patients who are sensitive to the usual recommended dose.
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